Fried Goat Cheese Salad

Sooo, 3 of my last 5 recipes have included goat cheese. I'm just a tiny bit obsessed...

This, however. THIS is the recipe for only the BIGGEST lovers of goat cheese. Those of us who order a dish at a restaurant simply because there's goat cheese in it. Anyone who can make a meal of crackers with goat cheese and fig jam. Someone who understands that the funky tang and creaminess of goat cheese is something you can't get anywhere else.

This is a Fried Goat Cheese Salad and it is basically everything I have ever wanted. It is tangy, tart, sweet, and crunchy. Although there is a little bit of work involved to bread and fry the cheese, it's an elegant appetizer or meal that can be made in no time at all with just a bit of planning.

Besides the goat cheese, which, no doubt, is the star of this dish, this salad is made up of some very simple but very delicious ingredients. I like mixed field greens as the base, topped off with a sliced green apple, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, finely crumbled feta, thinly sliced scallions and your favorite balsamic vinaigrette. If goat cheese doesn't tickle your fancy, this salad base would be just as delicious with grilled chicken or shrimp!

To be sure the goat cheese fritters stay together, keep their shape and don't melt all over the pan, you want to be sure to freeze the cheese at 2 different intervals. First, after slicing into rounds and then again after breading. I did notice that the egg at times would slide right off the goat cheese round. The best way to avoid this and get a really strong breading is to beat the egg vigorously until totally combined. Beyond these minor modifications, if you've ever breaded chicken before - you can absolutely make this! And you should! Seriously, I am soooo obsessed with this recipe! I hope you are too!

Blueberry Walnut Baked Oatmeal Cups

Whenever I'm on a kick to start eating healthier and exercising more, I always completely screw up immediately - that is, as soon as the day starts...at breakfast.

Getting a good breakfast in on a busy weekday morning, when I'm already worried about walking the dog, showering, and looking like I have my sh*t together (I don't), is pretty much impossible. It is much too easy to stop by Flour Bakery for a fresh croissant or the office cafeteria for a bagel + cream cheese. Of course, starting every day like this is a terrible idea, but I haven't found a consistent take along breakfast that actually wastes zero time in the mornings. Ugh!

That is, until I made these beautiful, delicious and hearty Blueberry Walnut Baked Oatmeal Cups. These are loaded with the wonderful flavors and textures of fresh, juicy blueberries, sweet pure maple syrup, toasty walnuts and a generous pinch of cinnamon. Almond butter and an egg bind together all these wonderful ingredients, along with (of course) some old fashioned oats before baking up in cutesy individual portions in a lined muffin tin.

Breakfast for the week has never tasted so delicious! I recommend cooking these on a Sunday, allowing them to cool completely then storing in an airtight container in the fridge. These are incredibly tasty at room temperature, but I love warming them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before gobbling them up. Thinking about drizzling a little more syrup on top? Good. Me too! However you eat them, they are sure to keep you full, satisfied and happy until lunch!

Dark Chocolate and Walnut Pumpkin Cookies

I want to talk about cookies. I think now is as good a time as ever to have such a talk.

Cookies are so necessary. Always. That’s really all I have to say on the matter.

Ok, well really, there is more. I’m completely guilty of loving Oreos way more than a person should, particularly the double-stuffed peanut butter variety. I’m also guilty of feeling immense joy during Girl Scout cookie season. 18 boxes of thin mints, 20 boxes of samoas, and a tag along or 12 while you’re at it. I love a good store bought cookie. Who doesn’t?!

I also have a fear of baking. See my post on pink lemonade cupcakes for more on why…

I love, however, an easy recipe that takes some of that immense stress off of the baker (namely, me) and still yields a delicious sweet treat.

Enter boxed cake mixes (have all the real bakers of the world given up hope on me?!). These things are a good place to start for the not-so-advanced, burn savvy baker (again…me). Doctor them up a bit and, as long as you make your sweet treat with love, I don’t think anyone will object.

Fall flavors are in full swing – I can tell, because a LOT more people are walking around with Starbucks cups. I KNOW you have a pumpkin spice latte in there. I know this because I do, too. No reason to be ashamed. Pumpkin is delicious. So I wanted to make something with pumpkin.

The secret is definitely out on how to make an easy yet delicious pumpkin cookie.

I’m going to add dark chocolate chunks and walnuts to mine. That brings the total number of ingredients to 5.

Fearful bakers of the world: let’s do this thing!

Sunday Morning Oatmeal

In my hometown, there are 4 or 5 different diners all within a 10 minute drive. I cannot say why there are so many diners. Perhaps Long Islanders just really LOVE their breakfasts? I'd buy that.

We went to this one diner for a big breakfast on Mother's Day a few years back. I remember having this outrageously amazing waffle...it was a whole wheat waffle (and therefore, of course, completely healthy and guilt free...). The waffle was topped with strawberries, bananas, walnuts, and maple syrup. Amazing,

I was thinking about this waffle recently. I do not know why this waffle randomly popped up in my brain. I think about food a lot...it's a whole thing.

I don't have a waffle maker, but I knew I wanted something filling and delicious this morning for breakfast.

I left out the waffle part of this strawberry-banana-walnut waffle...and then I made oatmeal.

It's genius, really. Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast blank canvas. It's a bit more nutritious than a waffle. But with the right toppings, it was just as delicious.

I'm calling this "Sunday Morning Oatmeal." First, because I made it on Sunday morning. And second, because it was the perfect compliment to a cup of coffee and good book on the porch--something that I try to enjoy every Sunday.